Q&A with author Justin Murphy

Justin Murphy

Justin Murphy, 27, is the  author of several dozen works, both fiction and nonfiction; available on Kindle, they include A Fan's Guide to Rod Serling, The Ancient Astronaut Files, and Anger Always Flowers. He lives in Orlando, Florida.

Q: You have written in a number of different genres. How did you first get interested in writing, and do you have a favorite genre in which to work?

A:  I have always been a creative type, but I started writing short stories consistently around age 15, first getting published at 19. While this has almost become expected of authors, I love each genre in different ways.

Southern crime and the non-fiction entertainment books are the most successful, but I love southern crime for the detective/suspense and ''small-town scandal'' elements, exposing the hypocrisy of small towns and exploring liberal issues in otherwise conservative areas.

Despite being less successful, I absolutely love doing my sci-fi/fantasy and autism-themed works. I have been a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy for the longest time, and being someone who has helped raise a younger brother with autism, I want raise as much awareness as possible and help people realize these are indeed exceptional [people] who are very creative and talented, yet don't often get the credit they deserve.

Q: How have you picked the subjects of your works that focus on the entertainment industry?

A: These are people who have influenced me in my career and who I've admired from the time I was very small: filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, and Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. I also enjoy covering topics such as the emergence of web series (which is ongoing and making both further strides and setbacks) and cable dramas, along with how and why they are trouncing novels, film, and network TV.  

Q: You have mentioned that you're trying to expand into audiobooks. How is that going? 

A: It's very slow going, but I hope to see the best come of it. One of my books is coming along smoothly with a great narrator. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Q: Your books are available on Kindle. Why have you chosen this route to make your work available to readers? 

A: I got my professional start with eBooks in December 2004, a few years before the first Kindle was even released. It was a time where those in the print establishment told us we weren't ''real'' authors, that we would never get anywhere, and often made fun of us. For a time, I actually bought into this crap and pitched agents, editors, and publishers in New York, along with a few small presses here and there. Got a few bites, but nothing came of it. I also did a few article-writing jobs to work my way up.

Despite initial resistance and alienating a few ''traditional'' types, I realized through Kindle, eBooks were now the present and future of this business. They have made agents, editors, and publishers, along with print and bookstores in general flat-out irrelevant. Similar to what iTunes has done to music, and to how Netflix, Hulu, and others have been chipping away at film and TV. Although that is more difficult considering the latter is a visual medium centered around a cast and crew, as opposed to audio or text involving a one-person job, much less a few others working together.  

Q: What are you working on now? 

A: I'm writing a sample spec for the new A&E series Bates Motel, and planning a TV pilot based on my biggest selling Kindle books in the Southern crime genres. Although if that doesn't work out, it can always be a Kindle book in and of itself And I'm also planning another non-fiction entertainment book.

Q: Anything else we should know?  

A: A film and TV deal in Los Angeles would be nice! But I'm happy being a young author who is there for his little brother.

--Interview with Deborah Kalb